CDC announces changes for COVID-19 vaccine 09.14.2023

September 14, 2023

CDC announces changes for COVID-19 vaccine

MOBILE, Ala. — Earlier this week, the Food & Drug Administration amended emergency use authorization for the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer and Moderna to include approval of the 2023-2024 formula (monovalent XBB.1.5).

This means the Bivalent vaccine is no longer authorized for use in the United States. As a result, the Mobile County Health Department cannot offer COVID-19 vaccine at this time. An exact date for when Family Health, the primary care division of MCHD, will receive the new vaccine has not been determined.

Since its inception in 1979, Family Health has provided services to the uninsured, underinsured, insured, and medically underserved populations of Mobile County. In addition to the general population, the center has also targeted special populations (such as migrant and seasonal workers, refugees, public housing residents, and people living with HIV/AIDS).

“The vaccines.gov website is an excellent resource for searching for available vaccines nearest your location,” said Dr. Kevin Philip Michaels.

CDC recommends everyone six months and older get an updated COVID-19 vaccine to protect against the potentially severe outcomes of COVID-19 illness this fall and winter.

The virus that causes COVID-19 is constantly changing, and protection from COVID-19 vaccines declines over time. Receiving an updated COVID-19 vaccine can improve protection and provide enhanced protection against the variants currently responsible for most infections and hospitalizations in the United States.

Last season, those who received a 2022-2023 COVID-19 vaccine saw greater protection against illness and hospitalization than those who did not receive a 2022-2023 vaccine. Hundreds of millions of people have safely received a COVID-19 vaccine under the most intense safety monitoring in U.S. history.